The Tainted Self
by Flavin
Summary: Draco goes to great lengths to avenge his father by destroying Harry, but when they both find themselves in a shocking situation as a result, what will transpire between the two? HxD Slash, please Review.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Harry Potter_ or any of the characters found within the book. Rightful credit goes to J.K. Rowling and her brilliant imagination.

**Warning**: This story contains **slash**, which means **gay** relationships. Spoilers up to _Order of the Pheonix_, book 6 not taken into account. Set in 6th year.

**Pairings**: Draco x Harry; Ron x Hermione.

**Summary**: Draco goes to great lengths to avenge his father by destroying Harry, but when they both find themselves in a shocking situation as a result, what will transpire between the two and how will it change what they feel for each other?

**Author's Notes**: This is just a short prologue, later chapters will be much more extensive. Please, please tell me what you think by reviewing and then I'll continue if you guys find it good enough! Thank you so very much!

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_The Tainted Self_

By Flavin

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_Prologue_

Harry Potter stared blankly into the shimmering, green liquid of his still potion that reflected brightly through the lens of his glasses into his equally green eyes. He was torturing himself again. Again, he was caught in the whirlpool of events that happened that night at the Ministry of Magic when the only person he could still consider his loving relative had disappeared forever behind a dark veil of death.

Again and again the chain of memories would replay itself in his mind, each time filled with new questions, new possible solutions for what Harry could have done to prevent Sirius from dying. And every single time, Harry came to the inevitable conclusion he had still to make peace with. He, Harry, was responsible for Sirius's death. Even the comforting words of his two best friends and Albus Dumbledore could not convince him otherwise. Sirius was dead. And he was to blame. That thought filled Harry's heart with so much pain and anger, he found he could barely stand.

"Check it out," Pansy giggled venomously, elbowing her neighbour hard in the ribs. "Our infamous Potty is going to blow Snape's fuse from the very first day this year, it seems. His potion looks just about ready to bust."

Raising his cold eyes, Draco Malfoy fixed Harry with his darkest look for the first time that day, his mind just barely registering anything but the words 'Harry Potter' from Pansy's speech. Ever since Harry gave his father's name to the Daily Prophet, Draco had been nurturing a hatred for Potter that far exceeded the childish, harmless hostility they had exchanged over their first five years of school together.

During the summer, Draco had found himself in one bad situation after another, forcing him to make decisions he was utterly unprepared to make. With his father gone, who had always comprised Draco's strength and confidence, he found that when standing alone he wasn't quite as much as he believed himself to be when his father was there by his side. He felt alone and insecure, constantly shoved towards a cliff's edge that he was forced to overcome lest he fell.

He felt… weak.

Unfamiliar with the concept, thus unable to accept that he, of the Malfoy family, could ever feel this way, Draco felt his Slytherin heart sought revenge. Hate always succeeded filling that very empty place in his heart that nothing else ever seemed to complete. And, as he glared icily at Harry Potter now, he knew exactly the person to blame for his ordeal.

Unbeknownst to the two boys, each lost deep in his own thoughts, yet to Pansy's bubbling delight, Harry's now-boiling and blackening potion popped a few more dangerously-wide bubbles on its surface, and in a bursting, muddy display revolted against its maker, exploding right into his face along with other nearby horrified on-lookers.

Forcefully pulled out of his oblivious, depressed state, Harry froze on the spot, barely registering the laughter that equally exploded from the Slytherin table accompanied by gossiping whispers and amused exclamations from his own house. As his mind registered what had happened, Harry slowly reached to take off his soiled glasses, defiantly raising his eyes to look about the room; the gesture silenced all students almost instantly.

Yet somehow, even as the comedy of his situation hit him, he felt he didn't give a damn what all the sneering, speculative faces around him thought of him anymore. Over the years, he had grown more and more impenetrable to their ridicule and now that he had lost almost everything he had ever cared for, all Harry could think of as he looked at all the faces around him was… they never cared. They never helped. All they ever did was throw their worthless comments at him, along with their so-called "support" that would turn to estrangement every time shit hit the fan. All in all, he had had enough of their ever-changing opinions of him and his life, and their idiotic hypocrisy that never seemed to know better. All he wanted now was to be left alone. He wanted to get out of there.

Realizing Snape was nowhere to be seen, Harry decided that the best time to disappear was now. Disregarding the fact that he was still covered in a black, viscous liquid, Harry shoved his Potions book into his bag and turned to walk out—but instead found himself face to face with a fairly displeased Professor Snape, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, as he always did when Harry flirted with trouble. Snape's morose expression didn't promise anything good for Potter that day. Or that year, for that matter.

Bracing himself in anticipation of a huge loss of points spiced up with some hilariously sardonic—no doubt—remarks from Snape that would inevitably evoke more laughter from his favourite table, Harry let out a laboured sigh and dropped his bag onto the floor in a defeated manner. "Hurry up and take some points off Professor," he stated calmly, sarcasm creeping into his voice. "The famous Harry Potter could use some time off 'winning' all the time."

A paled silence fell among the students as Harry spoke—fearless and defiant, being the only one that could ever dare use that kind of tone when addressing Snape. After a few heavy moments passed, Snape finally answered in a low tone that curiously lacked the cutting edge everyone was expecting to hear, "You break my heart, Potter. Unfortunately, you never earn enough points to lose any. Your father would have been proud, I'm sure." As Harry shot him a poisonous look, Snape locked eyes with him and added, "A detention will do. Tonight, eight o'clock sharp, in my office." Muttering a quick clean-up spell, Snape turned to dismiss the class, leaving a momentarily-disarmed, clean Harry behind.

As everyone got up to go, crowding the dungeon momentarily before filtering out in small murmuring groups, Harry had no doubt that he managed, once again, to become that month's juiciest topic of gossip. Not wishing to be subjected to his two best friends' concerned interrogation either, Harry quickly picked up his bag and all but ran out, shoving past several students as he rushed to leave Ron and Hermione behind. This move did not go unnoticed by Draco Malfoy, who never stopped observing the unfolding events from the moment Pansy mentioned Potter's name.

As Harry disappeared through the doorway, Draco sneered as he saw Weasley dash after him wearing his usual obtuse expression before he was stopped by his Mudblood friend who whispered something to him tearfully as they left the room together slowly. Nearly rolling his eyes at how much drama he has had to witness during the past twenty minutes, Draco's eyes turned back to ice as they fell upon the item that Harry left behind in his haste to escape.

Two years ago, he would have still found Potter's predicaments funny, but now… he found himself feeling less than amused, he thought to himself as he picked up Harry's glasses, crushing them instantly in his strong, steel-hard grip.


End file.
